Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph
by Chloe Riede
Summary: Though peace maybe in the situation on the surface, tensions have been developing between the Alliance Government and PLANT alarm the Orb Union and once again, it orders an inquiry to the arms development that ZAFT has begun.
1. Phase 01 The Witch and the Princess

Cosmic Era 81: As the peace gained by the Clyne faction cause rapid developments on military hardware, the world seems to have been steadily becoming a utopia. In order for the world to be a safer place, the PLANT government, led by Lacus Clyne-Hibiki has discussed plans of expansion of PLANT territories on earth in order to maintain the peace garnered by winning the Destiny-Rebirth war.

Though peace maybe in the situation on the surface, tensions have been developing between the Alliance Government and the Clyne-led PLANT alarm the Orb Union and once again, it orders an inquiry to the arms development that ZAFT has begun.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

Phase 01- The Witch and the Princess

Finally getting of the Orb Union's executive escort, Esther Albionne prepares for perhaps the most important meeting of the newly-minted Orb Special Mediatory council as emissary to PLANT. Dressed in black blazers, hiding behind a blue top and her lower body being covered by her mid-length gray skirt, it is not hard not to look at her with amazement. Her emerald-colored eyes beamed the utmost confidence. Her long brunette hair is a marvel to look at. Her face, despite having spectacles would be a sight to see. It is hard to imagine that such a girl is a Natural.

More to her looks is the fact that this same Esther is the same person who wrote 5 books which were all really popular to the Earth's populace. These books were all talking about a future in which Coordinators and Naturals lived in harmony and were looked upon by what they can do as a human being and not what their genetic class is. This philosophy of hers gained her a following amongst the Naturals while getting the ire of some elitist Coordinators and purist Naturals. As a political analyst for Orb, she became one of the most trusted aides of Cagalli Yula Attha.

As the relatively young emissary of Orb, still at her twenties would go out; One of Clyne's most trusted generals escorts her on the way to the pink princess' office . General Kira Hibiki, ZAFT's Supreme Commander, and the Lacus' Clyne's spouse has been the target of many of many of Clyne's detractors for his meteoric rise in the command structure. Irony is it that the general was often found earlier in his career as the scorn of ZAFT itself. General Hibiki was once feared as the infamous pilot of the GAT-X105 Strike in the First Bloody Valentine War, and in the Second Bloody Valentine War, he was the pilot of the ZGMF-X10A Freedom and the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom, both symbols of Clyne's power over PLANT.

Kira, who was often found by Lacus reading Esther's books, asks his favorite Author a question which has fascinated him for a long time since this is the first time he has seen the emissary in-person.

"Miss Albionne, I've been reading your books really often and I'd like to ask you something. Why is did you make Dietrich blind when he finally gets his wings? I got confused during that part of your story..."

The young lady; seemingly astonished at the general's inquiry and started laughing. She replies to the General with a really interesting answer:

"Regretfully, Dietrich didn't really grow up. He gained his means to fly, but never the reason to fly. Dietrich does not need someone to tell him where to go. He needs to decide for himself where to go. Imagine yourself always pointing at where the wind blows, General Hibiki. If you let the wind blow your ship too much, it'll damage the sail and it will have no means to move. It will be destroyed by the current."

Still bursting in laughter, Esther asks Kira:

"Why do you look so nervous? Did I hit the right spot with you?"

Kira, who looks mostly like a balloon with too much air, would succumb to his nerves surprisingly. He replies to the brunette-haired, emerald-eyed messenger of Orb;

"It's …just that I don't want to lose something really close to me anymore. I can relate much to Dietrich's character in the novels."

You could see delight as the book writer's eyes widen and quickly, Esther opened up with an interesting insight while chuckling;

"I'm really worried about your constant worrying, General Hibiki. It seems like you're being strained by events that haven't happened yet. Also, your subjectivity baffles me. Your job description expects you to not be phased by this at all. You cannot be worried about me if for example I was _really _close to you. But are you really worried about me right now, as someone you just barely knew?"

The General looked up in the azure sky and gave the emissary his answer;

"If you'd like to know Miss Albionne, I look at you as someone really close; it's as if I've met you before. But to answer your question, I'm not so sure myself. Maybe I would, but it's not as if I'm saving a close friend."

As Esther pressed for another question, another voice would suddenly reverberate; it was the PLANT Chairwoman herself, Lacus Clyne. Who could ever mistake that voice as it serenely echoes through the scenery? The woman who has been part of changing both Bloody Valentine Wars' outcomes has personally come to greet Esther. The Cherry Blossom haired heiress, well known for wearing Oriental-inspired dresses would sport another version of her black and purple robe. She wears her hair down, those candy-like strands that reflect her innate sweetness. As Kira hears her angelic voice, he temporarily leaves Esther who is somewhat disappointed that she can't utter another question to her newly-acquired subject.

Kira greets his Commander-in-chief, both in work and in the _household; as some people at ZAFT headquarters often joke about_, with an embrace. Kira was to follow up with a kiss, but Lacus says;

"Not here, I still have an agenda with Miss Albionne."

With caution, she whispers to the general;

"_I don't get why Cagalli would send us an envoy. I know that you like Esther's works. I do too. But isn't it unnecessary for her to send Esther, knowing that you're her brother. Are we really at odds with Orb this time, Kira?"_

The man who was once called Yamato would reassure Lacus;

"_I'm pretty sure that Cagalli is just busy. Besides, Esther is your successor at the helm of Terminal. I don't know how she's a threat to us."_

Relieved, Lacus would eventually turn her attention to the 25-year old book writer from Copernicus, she opened with this remark;

"I see that you're probably tired from all the talk emanating from Kira. He's a big fan of yours. Anyway, let us not make waste of the time. We have more pressing matters to talk about in my office."

As the scene shifts to Lacus' office, Esther brings the pink princess the news.

"Miss Clyne, I was sent here by Orb to deliver frightening news to you. Reports from various sources have confirmed suspicion that a threat from within the PLANT Supreme Council has surfaced and has been funding the remnants of the Destiny movement. It is advised by the Orb Prime Minister Cagalli Yula Attha to be in constant alert right now."

Lacus is surprised, but unfazed by the news. She then inquires about the situation within the Reforming Earth Alliance.

"I understand the concern, and I'll see to it that we will investigate the matter. Since it's alarming here, I'd also like to know about something else, Miss Albionne. Has the Alliance made movement as of now? I know you're not just Orb's emissary. You're the one reverend Malchio handpicked to be my successor. As a fellow member of Terminal, I have always wanted to meet you in person."

The Brunette has also been stars truck since the meeting. Lacus has been both an inspiration and a challenge to the young maiden. She wouldn't have been in her place had it not been for Lacus Clyne, the songstress of peace. As she tells her _rival_ and mentor her answer as eyes glitter with excitement and pride.

"I'm surprised you didn't want to strangle me and make me say something about it…." She chuckled.

"The situation within the Alliance seems to be stable. As long as they're weary of war against both Orb and ZAFT, they're not ready to move. And I believe that this time, the Alliance will be on your side more. The uprising I am speaking of comes from dissent within the Coordinator populace. It seems that some Coordinators still believe that they're the 'cream of the crop'. Our primary opponent right now is still the shadow created by both Bloody Valentine Wars."

Lacus looked impressed, never has she seen someone with the same wavelength as hers. Even she had some lapses in some of the conversations she has with Kira. She thinks it is because they were taught by the same mentor. The conversation was really going along well. That is until, something really disturbing happens.

"BANG"—Gunshots are heard circling around the complex. Esther and Lacus were both shocked to see Kira's sweaty body telling them;

"The complex is surrounded. It seems like for the first time, we were tricked. We've got no recourse but to escape this complex."

Lacus was confused. She knew she trusted most of the Council. She was always keeping tabs on them to be sure. In her mind reverberates:

"_I must've trusted them too much for my own good." _

Esther knew this was going to happen. She thinks she may have failed her mission. She has also things in her mind as well:

"_Great, now all three of us are in jeopardy right now. Hopefully the saying 'three times is the charm' or 'witches don't really die in a fire, they dissolve in water' applies here. I don't want to lose this second shot this easily." _


	2. Phase 02 The Glass Kingdom Shatters

The situation in the Chairwoman's office is deteriorating by the minute. Lacus is warned by Esther who unveils a plan staged by a shady organization working behind the scenes to get rid of her, but is she too late?

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

Phase 02- The Glass Kingdom Shatters

Lacus, visibly still thinking about the events that lead to this predicament, would recall that their only hope to escape the assassins scattered around the complex was to go to the safe-house located under the PLANT chairperson's office. The three of them were apparently 21 floors above the said place, which meant that it' s going to be a long way down and using the elevator would result in immediate capture. The pink-haired Heiress of Clyne had an idea, she told the other two:

"Considering that they have us practically cornered. The only course of action is to make them believe that they've already won. If I remember correctly, we can use somewhat of a diversion. I think this will do."

Lacus opens a secret compartment that is behind the office's bookshelf. Esther would not believe what she was about to see.

"Haros, it's an army of them! Is this your solution?"—she exclaims

Even Kira was disturbed by the ensemble of ball-like robots bouncing around Lacus.

"Lacus, I know that we're in a pinch. But we aren't going to seriously use these guys, are we?"—the relatively young general replies.

Lacus would reply at both Esther and Kira:

"Have faith on them, they've been my silent guardians all this time. They've saved me from a lot of problems. You could call them lifesavers if you can, Miss Albionne."

"_Probably one of them helped you hack the Archangels' door locks."_

"_Yeah, we can ask those assassins from Orb on how a pink bouncing ball crippled Gilbert's plans."_

As the pink princess plans her moves, she sends haro on the opposite direction where the trio was heading. This move would then enable them to dodge the insurgents who aim to take them down. They are only 6 floors short of Lacus safe house, which would give them enough time to successfully transmit an SOS to nearby Clynefaction members. All seemed well until a scout unit of the insurgents discovers them.

This is when Kira uses his talents to aid in Lacus' bid to escape from the enemy. Using his deadly accuracy…

"_The Azure Knight of Jachin Due, is throwing a gun!" –Esther was in shock while Kira accurately throws the loaded gun. It hit one of the henchmen. It was a silly sight but still enough to buy time for the trio to escape._

After seeing the funny escape method used by the 26-year old General, Esther and Lacus can't help but ridicule the General's odd but effective way.

"Next time, use a shuriken instead." –Esther remarks.

"A rock would've been tons more effective, Kira."—not to be outdone, Lacus also replies.

Seemingly down after the 'humiliating' rescue attempt, Kira again whispers into Lacus 'ears:

"_Are you doing this on purpose, Lacus? It's as if you're uneasy with what's happening."—Kira says_

"_No, Kira. It's not that. I just think that you're showing Esther the whole package, including the not-so-spectacular things about Kira Yamato."—the pink princess whispers back._

Approaching the last floor before the safe house, Kira felt pressure; the pressure of your wife and your idol's 'nagging. It's like He is between a rock and hard place. Kira could only get smiles from both ladies, as he tried his best to safely escort both to the fortified room. Even then, they'd still need help. Who knows when the thugs enlist the aid of Mobile Suits? If Esther's report is accurate, then it is safe to assume that Lacus and Kira are now considered as terrorists by a newer regime that has taken over PLANT.

As soon as they shut off the doors, Esther explains to them, after receiving a message from her PDA;

"The Seraph, Orb's successor to the Archangel has been tasked to pick us up. In other words, we're stuck here until we find a way to get out in space. Any Ideas you may want to suggest, pink-_hime?_"

The pink princess immediately came up with an answer;

"I was so generous to have put my faith into things I cannot control, but for these times. I often rely on someone to wield my sword."

As Lacus removes a book called 'Liberta' from her bookshelf, a secret door opens. They travel downward through the stairs that the bookshelf conceals and find a familiar 'face' to all three of them.

"_It has been ten years since I last saw the machine that saved my life back then."_

"_It's been a while since I piloted you my friend, I'd wish it could still compete with the current crop though."_

"_So the Azure Knight reappears, all my prayers lie in this one sword. Neither will alone, nor strength alone. It's a combination of both, my prayers are." _

Kira checks the Operating System for specifications; he stumbles upon a slight problem. He finds out the while the mobile suit in front of them is from the line of Freedom's, it isn't quite the same machine.

"So we're outgunned this time, Lacus. The only thing this suit can do is outrun the opposition. Ex-MAT is still at experimental mode, but this has to work. I've never seen a suit with this less firepower compared to the opposition since….Strike."

Esther now plots the Seraph's coordinates in a makeshift map Lacus gives her. Now Kira plans the escape.

"The most likely scenario is that they're expecting us to go out from this hangar's hatch. The only chance for this to work is that we need to burst out in Ex-MAT boost immediately as I open up the systems. The plan is to fool them that we are heading for ZAFT Headquarters to retrieve Strike-Freedom and Eternal."

They have the plan, but something becomes a real roadblock. The Freedom's cockpit, seemingly where Kira weaves his magic, would get…crowded. Kira forgot that Lacus and Esther were two more people. His track record on Freedom, and even his former MS, the Strike… only had space for two. If 'tight-fit' is the word, then okay it's granted. But when you're going to have a high speed chase, with two other people gasping for space within the cockpit, it's going to be a challenge. But Kira didn't have a choice. He's forced to let Esther sit on his Lap while, Lacus would sit beside him, Prompting the maidens to tease him a bit.

"General, shouldn't I be the one beside you, while Miss Clyne is in this position?"

"No, Esther. It's okay… I don't want myself to worry you. It's just that if we're ever going to die because of this, I know who to focus my wrath in the afterlife. "

_Lacus whispered to Kira: "Just make sure you push the right buttons"_

"_Is that figuratively or literally?"—Kira replies._

As Kira puts weight into the thrust pedal, he immediately turns on the Ex-MAT boost in order to send the opposition, composed by mostly Series-2 ZAKU's that he is heading for ZAFT headquarters to get more firepower in form of the newly-refitted Eternal and Strike Freedom. The streaks lead the enemies to believe that he was heading there, but he was fainting to get to the spaceport where they could leak out to space, where the Seraph waits for them.

The PLANT sky was clear, up until the point where Kira spots 10 units, 7 ZAKU-Series2's and 3 GOUF-S's.

"_ZGMF-X10α, you are not clear to exit PLANT airspace, land now or be shot down!"_

Kira replies with a beam saber to two of the unit's sensors. While letting out beam-rifle shots, Kira was already being pressured. His skill, while still a whole level above the rest, the technology gap was really evident. The Freedom had to maximize its speed advantage as the Balaenas and even the beam rifles don't even work against the advanced beam shielding of the new units. The best he could do to offset this is to use the Railguns as something to be really threatened. The solid weapons, though not damaging the opposing suits, would give them a bit of recoil. He takes out 1 GOUF with a really accurate thrust to its limbs, but the formation stays intact, 2 GOUFS and 5 ZAKU's still remain in tight formation, and would not scramble. Kira had begun to be tired. But as Kira was tired, Esther would make something of it:

"At this rate, the enemy will just realize that you're just letting them off a free pass by not killing them. They'd just regroup until you tire down. We at least need to threaten them."

Lacus, who doesn't often see spilling blood as a pathway to open a door, would somehow agree with the novelist.

"Ideals don't matter right now if we'll be corpses today. It's imperative that we rendezvous with Seraph and plot a course to Orb immediately."

Knowing that he needs to go for the kill already, Lacus and Esther's statements would just force Kira to go into a gear that he hasn't gone in a long time. The Units notice as Kira uses Ex-MAT boost again, and then pull out the beam saber. The Freedom impales one of the GOUFs with the beam saber, and then commandeers its Beam Claymore. Kira adjusts the output of the hand plugs to accommodate the new makeshift weapon. The Freedom then throws its shield to the ZAKU's who had a hard time getting through Kira's barrage by Railguns. The ZAKU fires at the shield only to realize that the Freedom already has killing position and was ready to slice the MS in half.

The air security around the spaceport was thin. Kira's plan of faking an attempt to get the Strike Freedom and the Eternal worked like a charm. But once he ventures out into space, he sees an even bigger challenge. GuaiZ-E's are much weaker in armor, but they have the speed that can match the Freedom's and 7 of them are already a handful. The Freedom is outmatched this time, in Speed. Without Ex-MAT, Kira can't run circles around the opposition without the boost.

Kira was out of options, until a familiar red mobile suit would give him cover fire.

"Long time no see. Glad to see that my participation wasn't a waste after all." –a voice being radioed from an Aegis Gundam variant would emanate around Kira's cockpit.

"Athrun! Don't tell me Cagalli sent you for an errand again."—Lacus replies

"Yes, she wants a carton of milk from Sextilis 5 and I just happened to drop by just to say hello. I'd love to talk with you, but first you need to get the new unit. It's personally built for you, Kira."

As the Knight Aegis provides cover fire, Kira prepares to dock the Freedom into the Seraph. The ship is a beauty. She's a refitted Archangel Class ship, colored in crimson. Kira was certainly having nostalgic feelings over this. As he enters the hangar, Kira sees a familiar machine. To complete the nostalgia, he hears another voice while he was escorting Esther and Lacus out of the Freedom's cockpit.

"I see that you're trying to break your own record by fitting three people in a MS cockpit. And two ladies, I'm surprised Fllay isn't cursing you from heaven somewhere. " –a happy Sai Argyle greeted

"Whoever that was, I'm relieved that I have my lucky charms with me." –Esther tells Sai.

"Whatever the case, we should be helping Athrun take care of the enemy MS."—Lacus says.

"I think you should tell that to this ship's captain. She's right here if you're asking."

Kira and Lacus were surprised to know that the Seraph actually was built by Terminal during the end of the Destiny-Rebirth War to service its leader, much like the Eternal was. Esther brings Kira and Lacus to another hangar, where the machine that Kira saw is standing. She tells Kira something of real importance.

"I believe that this is a choice you must make before being entrusted this. As of now, I am not forcing you to fight. But please accept this gift from me; treat it as a reward for reading my novels. As Lacus gave you a sword earlier for us to escape from PLANT, I'll give you something in order to continue on fighting for the ideals you are fond of. Will you take it?"

"Of course, at the end of the day and I fail to protect those who I love. There'll be nothing of me. That is the worst feeling I could ever feel. "

"_Still the protector, are you?"_

Kira sees a new machine, as well as an old one. As he puts on his Orb Flight suit, and jumps on the Strike-R's cockpit. He realizes that nostalgia has set in and for him to treat this new machine like the Rouge wouldn't cut it. He feels indebted by what Esther and Lacus have accomplished in order to keep them alive. So he believes that this is his chance to pay that debt. And as the Hangar doors of the Seraph Open;

"_X105S- Strike R, you are clear for launch"_—Lacus in the CIC position of the bridge would signal Kira.

"Roger, copy that. "

Linear Catapults on the Seraph have been charged, and begins to accelerate the newly-minted Strike Gundam variant.

"Kira Yamato, Gundam. Heading out!"


	3. Phase 03 Altered Destiny

Cosmic Era 81: As the peace gained by the Clyne faction cause rapid developments on military hardware, the world seems to have been steadily becoming a utopia. In order for the world to be a safer place, the PLANT government, led by Lacus Clyne-Hibiki has discussed plans of expansion of PLANT territories on earth in order to maintain the peace garnered by winning the Destiny-Rebirth war.

Though peace maybe in the situation on the surface, tensions have been developing between the Alliance Government and the Clyne-led PLANT alarm the Orb Union and once again, it orders an inquiry to the arms development that ZAFT has begun.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

Phase 03- Altered Destiny

As the Strike-R would aid the Knight Aegis in battle, Esther would broadcast a message to all channels.

"Lacus Clyne, the PLANT Supreme Council Chairwoman, is now under the protective custody of the Orb Special Mediatory Council. Any hostile act committed against this ship will be viewed as a declaration of war against the Orb Union, and its allies."

As the message was circulating around all frequencies, Kira and Athrun were busy cleaning up the opposition as a great tandem. The technologies in play were almost equal, but Kira and Athrun are both aces of the first and second wars. Their experience trumped anything that the opposition had. Truth be told, had Kira gotten hand on the Strike-R earlier in PLANT, it is quite possible that he would've left without a scratch.

A GuaiZ-E pilot experienced firsthand; the horrors of going against the pilot who went against 4 other G-Machines of the GAT-X series. Kira's sword strikes were so accurate that it's almost a case wherein if he gets close enough, the opponent is surely a goner. Aside from the fact that his wingman is one of the elites of the Orb Mobile Arms Special Corp during the Destiny Rebirth War, Kira is shown to have great synchronization when paired with Athrun Zala.

Andreas Windsor, one of the current captains of the Destiny-Rebirth Movement Fleet is bothered by the sudden intervention of an Archangel-like Ship and relics from the first Bloody Valentine war. He positions the Minerva, the movement's flagship to engage the Seraph.

"Another Archangel appears, commissioned by Orb no less. Those bastards never want to leave us alone, eh."

As Andy would coin it, the Orb Union is putting its weight around. Orb at this time is not a pushover. Its technology is on-par or even better than what ZAFT currently employs so belittling them this time would lead to catastrophe. Especially considering the fact that they're seemingly against legends of the first Bloody Valentine. Minerva's captain would have no choice but to rely on their numbers.

Lacus looks at the Seraph's radar console and makes a report to Esther;

"I've located 12 heat signals approaching fast, two of them from are Ships, one Minerva-class another Vesalius II-class. Mobile Suits are classified into two variants, 7 GiNN Hornet-types and 3 GuaiZ-E's, all approaching from the rear. "

Esther realizes that with their current mobile suit fighting strength, they could probably win the skirmish, but would expend too much force that a counterattack from the opponent would put them into a tougher predicament.

The Strike-R, like times past would provide excellent cover fire for the Seraph, which would give the chance to wield its advantage as the Orb Union's premier Mobile Suit Carrier/Assault Ship. Her Firing rate is twice as fast as its predecessor. And with orb's current advancement on variable lightwave shielding, beam weaponry from long range would have a hard time penetrating the ship's armor. But ships are only as good as their crew, thus Esther knows that this mission, her first ever as captain of the Seraph, would catapult her political position in Orb even higher.

"_I have to end this effectively." –Esther says within her mind._

"Keichii, launch Sledgehammers on my signal. Inform Mr. Hibiki to prepare for re-equipment with the Burst Striker."

As the Strike-R would commence its resupply, the Knight Aegis transforms into its sleeker Mobile Armor form, now being able to run circles around the Minerva and its escort ships and threaten the opposing forces. Athrun makes sure that not one MS can scratch either the Strike or the Seraph.

The Vesalius-II's close in on the Strike-R and fires at the blue, white and red Mobile Suit. Esther finally orders the Sledgehammers to launch. By gambling and exposing the Strike-R as bait, Esther gets one of the Vesalius II's locked in weapons range.

"Fire Valiants 1 and 2, target Vesalius II-class main engine. "—she commanded.

The Seraph unleashes its force on one of the Minerva's escorts, leaving her dead in the water. Kira then radios the Seraph and says;

"That gambit was unexpected from you, Esther. I'd assume that you'll be a bit conservative with your tactics as I don't know how this mobile suit works."

"I'm a student of history, Mr. Hibiki. I know that you were once assigned to the Archangel using the legendary spoiler to ZAFT's desert campaign. The pilot of the Strike, the lone GAT-X machine that made life a living hell to four other G-Machines. So with you and Lacus board, I can have more options with what the ship and the Mobile Suits can do."

With the Seraph clearing its objective, Andy would be forced to fall back and continue the pursuit of the blood-colored legged ship. As the GiNN-Hornet Types were retreating, the Burst StrikeR unleashes a volley of beam weaponry at them, hitting at least three. Esther, who believes that they have bought them enough time before the Destiny Movement Fleet resume their attempt to retrieve Lacus and Kira, now plans to depart for Copernicus. The Orb Colony could resupply them to the voyage back to homeland. The 25 year-old brunette-haired novelist would go back to the Mobile Suit Hangar, along with Lacus Clyne to welcome back Kira Hibiki, one of the biggest factors in the success of her gambits.

"Nice moves, I didn't know you still had it in you, Ensign Yamato! I've never seen someone fly the Strike-R in such an optimized manner."—an amazed Ssigh Argyle would greet Kira.

"It's nothing. I was just that experienced in handling a similar system to the original's. It's just surprising that you could trust me like that, Esther. Supposedly, no one knows that I was Strike's Original pilot. I guess that your knowledge of the Terminal Archives really helped you up."—Kira complemented the relatively young captain.

Lacus, who has yet again escaped death, would also thank the emissary;

"I'm really astonished. I seriously couldn't see myself managing such a battle at the current odds. You just surpassed me in that regard, Miss Albionne."

"Not really, I never really saw what you did in the first Bloody Valentine war, but an Ssigh here was an adamant person and was telling me that you were actually on your best when you piloted the original Strike. I went with that gamble and you proved it to me in the flesh, so you don't have to thank me yet, Miss Clyne." –Esther replies.

"You don't have to be so formal. Just call me Lacus. I believe I don't have my executive powers anymore, Esther."

"In that case…"

Esther offers a handshake to the pink-haired songstress.

"…Can I be a friend of yours?"

"But of course, Esther. I'd be honored to be a friend of yours."-Lacus replies as she shakes hands with her successor.

Shinn Asuka is awakened by a sudden order by ZAFT Headquarters to transfer to the Eternal as her main escort. The former pilot of Destiny and the famous hero who took down a prototype mobile armor by himself would imagine himself being the pilot of something he used to loathe, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom.

"I know that I'd have to wish Kira would die or something before I pilot this thing. Though it must be really tough for him, who has the whole morale and ideals of the regime on his shoulders" –the ruby-eyed protégé of the Azure Knight would say.

Not know to him is the fact that the Eternal is going to be sent to pursue the Seraph. The Minerva-class ships can't outrun the new Archangel, thus it is only logical for them to send the fastest ship that ZAFT has. The hotshot who piloted the Impulse would not know that he was on a mission to chase his 'master'.


	4. Phase 04 Symbol of Clyne

On board the Orb Mediatory Council's flagship, Esther Albionne plots out their next move. Unbeknownst to Malchio's protégé is fact that the coup-controlled ZAFT is now pursuing them with the militia's fastest ship, and Lacus Clyne's own flagship: The Eternal.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

Phase 04- Symbol of Clyne

Shocked to hear that they are ordered to pursue the fleeing Seraph, Shinn Asuka could only say 'yes' as he is forced to chase his friends or else; his beloved Lunamaria would be killed by their captors. He would go on to say—

"Damn them! If only Kira involved me here, we could've secured the Strike Freedom for him. Now I have to do as they say."

It was ironic that Shinn wasn't leading the coup'. After all, he was the Destiny's pilot. However, the bigger irony is now the fact that Lacus' ship is heading the mission to kill her. It is now being escorted by two Minerva-class vessels –the Diana and the Athene. Andy knew about Kira as well as Athrun so he made sure that they would not be short of firepower, so acquiring the services of the 'Super-Ace' was the best idea. Andy obviously knew that Shinn would not comply, so their gambit was to take what was important to him, Lunamaria Hawke as hostage.

"_Luna you idiot, I told you that you have to get out of PLANT and join Athrun!"—the red-eyed man from Orb thought._

As the Eternal Departs along with the Strike-Freedom, Andy would ask one of the Intelligence officers to breach the Strike Freedom's security hatch.They open the cockpit, but the Freedom's OS would prompt for a 4-ascii character code, they tried cracking the code but during the third time, The Freedom's OS was automatically deleted from the System, rendering the Mobile Suit useless. Andy could only marvel and be annoyed by General Yamato's programming skills. Not only did the last program initiate a delete of all OS data of the Mobile Suit, it also accessed the Eternal's mainframe and sent logs of information to an encrypted destination and deleting them from the source. Even the best Technicians on board cannot trace where the information was being sent. Andy would vent out in anger and ordered a search for the Seraph. The only way to get information from terminal is to get a hold of either Lacus Clyne, or Terminal's current leader—Esther Albionne.

"Are the Preparations done?" –Esther asks her first officer, Keichii Kusanagi.

The Seraph has just arrived at the rendezvous point at a new Orb Colony; _Edo-III,_ with the goal of refueling for Atmospheric re-entry. Lacus suggests gathering information on the new ZAFT administration.

"The Destiny Movement has caught me off guard; I've to say that they took advantage of the element of surprise."—said Lacus, who was sipping a cup of her favorite tea while talking to Esther.

"What shocked me more was the abruptness of it all. I was expecting that your administration would hold off any harsh opposition trying to forcibly take power from you."—Esther replied, while looking at her pocket watch.

"It's not the power that worries me; it's the implication this event would have on how PLANT and the Alliance will interact…" –Lacus says.

"…The Destiny Plan hinges on people to let their genes decide for themselves, but ideally you'd have to be a coordinator to be on top of the hierarchy."

"It's quite an irony that you speak ill of the Destiny Plan, when you yourself would still be in a good position with your genetic record, Lacus." –Esther chuckles.

"It's not about my self-interest in the first place; it's about having a dream. I guess."

"But what should we do about the current PLANT?"—Esther asks the pink empress.

"I guess we need the aid of the Alliance and Orb in order to reclaim it." -Lacus would answer the brunette.

"You have got to be kidding me, Lacus. The Alliance would want your head more so than anything would. Terminal has not yet infiltrated the Atlantic Federation enough for even I to have a peaceful audience with them. Our best chance is the Eurasian Confederation, but even that's a prayer to the moon."

"I believe that this time, the Alliance would need our help. One of my forecasters, most notably Haruna Sakura of the first tactical division had a simulation, it was studying the effects if a Destiny Movement-controlled ZAFT would attack the Alliance, it yielded that the ZAFT forces, due to their ruthless methods with newer Mobile weapons , would overwhelm the Alliance. If all goes well in Elm's plans, we have 2 months before the Alliance and Orb succumb to this threat."

Planning his escape from the Eternal to meet up with the Clynefaction's newly minted ship, the Ethereal, Shinn Asuka decides on whether to try and save Lunamaria Hawke's life. Supposedly, the plan was to hijack the Strike Freedom, but now that Kira has now rendered the suit useless, at least until the cockpit module is replaced with the right parts. His only way out is to hijack the unfinished successor to the Destiny Gundam or 'Project-Z' as the ZAFT techies call it.

"_I fought to protect my friends, I never intended to impose my will upon another. This movement, it is only repeating the sins of Durandal."_—this was Shinn's thought as he was planning the escape.


	5. Phase 05 The Moon's Deception

Shinn has decided to escape from the Eternal and try to catch up with his mentor, Athrun Zala onboard the newly minted 'Seraph'. Unbeknownst to his foresight is the fact that he will lose somebody close to him once again.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

**_Phase 05- The Moon's Deception_**

Shinn finds himself stealthily dodging attention from Ship assistants. He was, expected to aid the Destiny Movement's after all. He also remembers that the rebel movement pins their hope on a new Mobile Suit project that would aim to remove the pilots from the cockpit.

As he tries to escape, there is something on the back of his mind. And that something is the fact that Lunamaria Hawke, his longtime friend and lover was on board the ship and was taken as assurance in case Shinn was brave enough to follow Lacus and General Hibiki's path.

Shinn draws up a plan in his mind, he was to trick them that he was escaping towards Edo-III, when in fact, he will try to rendezvous with Athrun onboard the Ethereal.

_ "The best thing to do right now is to hijack the Project-Z, so that the Clynefaction's engineers can see what the Destiny movement has been up to."_

While his brain was drawing up plans nonstop, two guards take notice:

_"Hey, you! You're not perm—" the guard was shot by a Taser that Shinn concealed. _

To his surprise, Shinn was lucky. These guards were the guards that were supposed to feed a certain hostage: Lunamaria Hawke.

Hawke has been Shinn's raison d' tre since the latter part of the Second Bloody Valentine War, she was also the woman Shinn always consulted when a problem came by. She herself is a pilot, although an admittedly average one, she can still greatly use her expertise in short ranged combat. It is a shame that she had to use a ranged Mobile Suit for most of her career as a pilot. She now serves as an intelligence officer for the Athene, the most recent Minerva-class ship commissioned by Plant under the Clyne Administration. Shinn knew that it was for Luna's safety not to continue her service. She was supposed to be in Lacus' office, but due to the enemy's knowledge of her and who she was close to, the Destiny movement had a legitimate hostage to use for Shinn, just in case he didn't heed their call.

As Shinn opens the door to his lover's quarters. He feels a gun nozzle on his back and it was his beloved; Lunamaria.

"What is the meaning of this, Luna?"—Shinn said with a shocked look.

"This? This means that you are of no use to me anymore. You have proven to be of no value to this movement anymore."—the maroon headed girl said.

"You have been nothing short of a disappointment, Shinn."—She added.

"But…why?"

"It's because I never stood for Lacus, not once because her will is nothing more than a lie."—the white-clad woman told Shinn.

"I was the one who blurted out the weaknesses of the security on the day of the attempted assassination of both Esther Albionne and Lacus Clyne. We knew that the Terminal will play their hand now."

"Lacus Clyne is nothing but a farce who fooled people into thinking that Coordinators and Naturals are meant to be treated as equals."

" But… you and… I are…" –Shinn says as he cannot comprehend the revelations that are being unveiled.

"Lovers? Don't you dare call me that! Every night I hear, you call out someone else's name. Every Night I hear you scream for your dead sister! I'm sick of having to hear you demean my feelings for you!"

The Seraph has finally reached its destination, The Orb Colony, Edo III. While Lacus and Kira were ready to go out and relax for a bit, Esther who already has removed her artificial hair color greeted them.

"So…What do we do now, Esther? I am excited to see this colony. I have not really travelled around Edo III. The only time I went here was when I did the ribbon cutting. " –Lacus chuckles as she asked the red-haired novelist.

"This is where I tell you that our priority is to conceal your Identity, Miss Clyne. Therefore, I would suggest that we get you a makeover. That pink hair and ornament in your head is too iconic to not recognize." –Esther replies.

"I…don't like the sound of this…I'd rather stay here on the ship and help out Ssigh with the adjustments for the Strike-R." —Said Kira, who loathed who shopping for feminine things.

"So it's decided then, Esther and I will try to blend in with the Colony populace, while you and Ssigh concentrate on optimizing our battle strength." –Lacus says as they finalize the plan for the day.

Lacus and Esther rarely spoke to each other during the duration of the trip; to break the ice, Lacus had an Idea. :

"So, why did you decide to join Terminal? I realize your potential as a leader, but I also fear for your safety. I oftentimes wondered what would have happened if I was just 'Lacus Clyne; the songstress' and not the 'pink princess'. So who is Esther Albionne without being the 'red witch of Orb'?"

Esther looked into the backdrops of the colony while gathering her thoughts with regards to Lacus' query. She then focuses and closes her eyes, and when she opens them, she says;

"It'd be hard to picture me. I'm a bit of a nerd, but I guess that I'd probably be writing stories, simple ones… never the deep things. But I'm not regretting the decisions I made…"

_CE 73—Operation Angel Down is successful, Gilbert Durandal thinks he has succeeded, yet another person thinks the weight of the world is pressing down against her back._

_"I… failed to protect you with my will alone…" -a young woman in her teens, said. _

_"I failed to shield you from death. I broke my promise to be by your side." –her eyes of smoke shining with steel conviction_

_"I seek power, power so that circumstances will never hurt you any more, my beloved." –the young woman, holding an invitation to study on Copernicus, while her scarlet-clad hair is being blown by the artificial winds at the rooftop of Copernicus General Hospital. _

"Esther? Esther! You've been staring straight at the window."—Lacus says as she calls for Esther's attention.

"Oh…sorry, your question just invoked a memory of mine. Incidentally, it's a sad one though."—Esther answers.

_"I've forgotten that it has been seven years since that day, The day I decided to put everything on the line for your saftety," –Esther murmurs in secrecy._


	6. Phase 06 To protect the one I hold dear

Esther Albionne, weighs the only possible moves that their group can make from thereon. The first of them was to conceal Lacus' identity.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

_**Phase 06- To protect the one I hold dearest**_

"You were spacing out, Esther. We've already reached the Edo-III Shopping Area." -a concerned Lacus Clyne would tell the young author from Copernicus.

It was obvious that the silence they were sharing for the whole trip was due to them being exhausted, so it was understandable. Esther, who finally was out of the funk, finally spoke.

"I was wondering if we can have a sincere talk about things that we might encounter in the future. I like _our_ chances when we work together." -She said.

Esther knew that she and her pink-haired companion have slight differences with regards to ideology, and wanted to assure that they were on the same page all the time. To her, any lapses that would result from their clashing of beliefs would certainly jeopardize the mission.

"Is...It about Kira?"-Lacus asked the brunette.

"It has l something to do with what you really think of you two joining my crew indefinitely. More specifically, I'm not quite sure that Kira will be ready to take lives during the whole operation. I'm not sure that he'll accept his role as the executor. As for you Lacus, just tell me an honest opinion of my beliefs as Terminal's new leader, I'd like to make sure that I'm not entering dangerous waters when it comes to your policies." – The author told the songstress.

"It's...okay; I don't mind seeing him fight to protect people. It's just that... the situation reminds me of something that happened during his early days with the Archangel. Aside from that fact, I think I have full confidence that you'll guide both me and Kira to the best possible outcome. I have no qualms, as long as I see your methods as fit. After all, there's something about you that makes me feel confident."

"What's that?"

"I…feel that you…won't lead Kira and me astray. What does baffle me is the fact that during the short time you've been with us, you've found yourself attached to both Kira and I. I call that a feat, since both of us are what normal people call weird." –Lacus chuckled.

"You're not weird!" – A stunned Esther would say.

"I'd call Kira weird, but you... not so much. As I've said, you're normal compared to the other people I've met in this life. One of them, you know very well."

"Who?" – Lacus asks

"Reverend Malchio." – Esther says as her answer was greeted by heartfelt laughter emanating from Lacus herself.

As they continue on with the conversation, Esther would hear something from Lacus that completely throws her off.

"I...never had this much time to socialize with a _'Natural'_."

"Wasn't Lady Cagalli one?"

"Well, If I wasn't close to Kira, she wouldn't really talk to me that often."

"Don't tell me you didn't have one friend who was..."

"I...tried, but unfortunately she never accepted me for what I am, though I understand her sentiment. How I wish that circumstances were different from when... _She and I met._"

"She...?"

"During the first time that I met Kira, I also met that person." – Lacus explains.

"Interesting..." – Esther remarks.

"I understand... so it must be a relieving feeling to finally have someone who overlooks you being a coordinator."

"I guess so, though it's much broader than that... during my stay in Orb, I've always been alone..." – Lacus replies.

"Honestly, the only person who's always been there was...Kira. I can be just 'Lacus' in front of him, and not be awkward, and I feel that I'm...beginning to see you as a trustworthy ally..."

"...I just hope that even outside the battlefield, It'd remain that way."

"If that's the case, the first step is to stop calling me with such a formal name, It really is too formal of you to call me Ms. Albionne all the time, you should only call me Esther, any other name would not register with my most-of-the-time busy mind."

_It's as if fate has finally mellowed down to both of us, Lacus. While I admit that my lack of understanding has blinded me during that time. I honestly could not control my jealousy, so you could already add selfish to the already naive and ignorant me back then. You were actually quite lucky not to bump into me after the whole Kira "dying" thing. _

"So how's life as a General, Kira?" –Ssigh asked his once close friend a very simple question for a start.

"It's not as easy as it sounds, and most of the time, I'm just signing paperwork, it's not like I miss the battlefield, but office work is boring..."

"So what has happened to you and Lacus, it seems like you've finally moved on...Me, not so much. My obsession with Mobile Suits has inspired me to complete the Strike-R, and it's such an honor for me to see you push this machine to its limits. I just hope that with the Strike-R, you'd be able to protect us without the endangering Lacus."

"I promise I will, I won't let you down. I would do anything for Lacus not to suffer the same fate that befell Fllay...One thing is bothering me though. How can a Mobile Suit geek like you become Esther's cohort?" – Kira asks.

"Oh, that bookworm, Esther always was an eccentric person, I mean she never runs out of ideas and really passionate about her work as Terminal's new leader. The lady's starstruck with Lacus though, so much so that the Seraph exists to be based on what the Archangel and Eternal have meant for both Bloody Valentines. I on the other hand had a lot of memories that included the Strike and the Archangel. And when Cagalli approved the Strike-S project, I was jumping in joy. " –the mobile suit mechanic answered.

"But Red isn't the color of peace; it is the opposite, in fact." – Kira said.

"I don't know, Esther liked the irony of it, a ship clad in crimson playing the role of peacekeeper. According to her, the difference between her and Lacus is that she relishes in the fact that people doubt her, and yet she always comes through. While Lacus is somewhat stoic about the things that happen around her, Esther on the other hand would just let her passion flow through her and it really inspires, turning doubters into believers. In fact, that may have been the reason why Esther was chosen to be Lacus' successor. I can't believe a natural like her is capable of such caliber of leadership and charisma."

"...Believe it or not, Ssigh… I'm quite fond of her. There seems to be something that leads me to her." Kira could only utter these words to his old friend.

"…Kira Yamato, ever so undecisive, are we? I can't believe that after 7 years with Lacus , and Losing Fllay… you're still looking for that person. And I thought that you were supposed to be settling with Lacus Clyne of all people." – The Ultimate Coordinator's friend says.

"So Esther… following up my question, how was college in Copernicus?"

"It was a challenge at best, to be given a chance to study in such a school."

Lacus' would receive a text message from her intelligence network's database. It contained two names she recognized.

"Interesting, really. It says on this document that records pointing to a certain 'Esther Albionne' was not found in the College's database, instead I found out that 'Esther' is just a pen name of someone, who I've not heard from ever since the first war. You being informed that Kira was Strike's pilot wasn't from reading a lot of History books."

Esther was feeling that their conversation might have taken a turn for the worse. Talking about the past would pain her but Lacus insisted, so Esther had no recourse to be slightly truthful not to blow cover.

"I guess, I'm a bit fond of Kira piloting something based on the legendary Strike of the desert campaign. "

"Don't hide from me, Esther... or should I say ….?If my guess is right, your pen name has two components, 'Esther and Albionne'. 'Esther' is a name of a famous novel's queen, and Albionne is an off-shoot of Albion, her kingdom. Which should be interesting since that queen's profile would match what you would look like…say…seven years ago."

Esther was surprised at what Lacus accomplished just from talking with her for the last hour. She has no choice but to confirm her suspicion.

"…I'm quite surprised that you're alive, so that's why you'd refer to Kira as 'weird'. I'm sure he'd be quite shocked to realize l that his fondness for you is rooted in the simple fact that he met the 'real' you, Esther. Shinn should be blessed that you weren't pushing Kira to the brink again, or he'd be dead. "

"I guess that you're already being weary of me. So all that talk about how you can't mingle with Naturals was to expose me? But you're right, there's no escaping from you now. I _was her_, circumstances had pushed me to give up on that name, because that person was a tool that was used to aid in a genocide. And Lacus, don't ever bring up _Angel Down _on me, you owe me an apology for leaving Kira."

"Not really, I've been truthfully not well liked by Naturals. It's really interesting that you of all people came to replace me in Terminal…just as I replaced you by Kira's side." –said Lacus who was slightly teasing Esther with a grin.

"Don't go there, Lacus. You know I could very well return anytime, If I wanted to."—Esther fires back playfully while giggling.

Knowing more about Esther slightly gave Lacus a positive effect, rather than a dragging negative one.

"Don't get me wrong, Lacus. I'm doing this because I don't want Kira to die without me trying to protect him. I know you feel that way too, that's why I care so much about protecting you two. Because in my absence, I know that you've been there for him. I appreciate that, and for that alone, I am in your debt."

"Thank you, but I'll try to sort out my feelings for a bit. I honestly am being scared by my knowledge of your true identity, Esther. But knowing that you're here supporting us, It certainly negates those feelings of anxiety over your past and your relationship to both Kira and I." –Lacus declares.

"…Lacus, for all it's worth, I've been an unreasonable person to you that only time we met on the Archangel. I know that it would take time for you to forgive me, and I understand. Death threats are not an occasional thing for you during those times, but I'm sure that you're all over that. After all, you're pretty much the embodiment of 'calm and composed'."

"It's okay…I guess, but I'll still look at my back. I'll trust you if you would promise to trust me too. Also, our interests only point to one end, so I'm not a critic of your decisions. I can tell that you're determined to uphold the reverend's teachings, so I'm sure of your mold. What I'm yet to figure out is why you have not resurfaced amongst the Alliance leadership, I'm pretty sure that they need competent leaders such as you." –Lacus tells the spectacled brunette.

"It's relatively easy to say that the Alliance would not approve of my actions, there is still dissent for Coordinators that lurk within its command structure. Basically, the notion that I'd be your counterpart in the Alliance is a moot argument, considering that my last action as _that person _was mutiny. And before you reason out that you've also been a 'traitor' during the first war, I don't have a "princess's" image to lean on." –Esther says.

Realizing that Lacus meant no harm by merely knowing about her true identity, she suggests a proposition to her pink-haired counterpart:

"About our plans for hereon out, do you still want to conceal yourself like I do, knowing that we'll seek the Alliance's support?" – the brunette would ask.

"Of course I do, If we need the Alliance's help, we'd have to play by their rules. Their intent is to not hear me out because I have certain viewpoints that they don't appreciate, that's fine... but I would do anything to prevent another genocide from happening. If their pride is preventing them from communicating with us, our operation would be compromised."

"I just hope we won't give up too much for this. Considering our current situation, the Strike-R won't be able hold off an attack if the Destiny movement gets a grip of our plans. We both know Kira is a miracle worker, but we can't keep pushing his luck."-Esther would warn the pink-empress.

"That is one reason I initially didn't want Kira to get involved in the second war, I didn't want him to push himself too much. Which led to what you were alluding. _Angel Down _was a close call, we can't afford to run into a situation like that. I suggest that we should pull out the moment indications become visible that the Alliance won't help our cause."

"If such a situation arises, let's hope Athrun and Shinn arrive in time to join the engagement. Hopefully, by the time they realize that We're here to help the Alliance, and your insurgents, it's too late."

"So let's assume that we won't move until the Alliance reacts to the new regime in PLANT. Wouldn't it take more time? "

"Right now, we have no choice but to wait and see. Besides, our last hope hinges on my former reputation in the Alliance, as the last member of a prominent family within its scope, and quite frankly… I'd rather trust Kira's piloting over the chance that the name 'Allster' being relevant in Atlantic Federation politics."

As both Lacus and Esther finally decided on a plan, Lacus gives up her long pink hair in order to hide from a vindictive PLANT regime that vows to wipe out every sign of the so called 'pink-empress'.

When the two ladies return to the Seraph, they were both thinking about a decision they would make, once they reach earth. As Lacus faces Kira with a new look, Esther likewise looks on with enthusiasm.


	7. Phase 07 Destiny's Distortion

Still shocked by Lunamaria's revelations, Shinn Asuka finally arrived at the Sophia, the Clyne Faction's Mobile Weapons research facility, where Athrun Zala of the Orb Mediatory Council Defense protocol was waiting for him. The son of Patrick was to remain on Sophia to oversee the completion of Lacus' new flagship in lieu of the Eternal being captured by Destiny Movement forces.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

_**Phase 07- Destiny's Distortion**_

"How has it been, Shinn? I heard about Luna, and her defection." – The blue haired pilot of the Knight Aegis told Shinn.

"Tell Meyrin that her sister has finally chosen her own path and that it's a path that we both won't appreciate." – The red-eyed pilot of the Arc Savior would reply to the question.

Athrun knew that his friend has been weakened by the fact that his beloved turned out to be someone who loathed what he believed in.

"So how about we slack off for a while, Shinn. We can't operate like this being. I bet Cagalli will laugh once she finds out about your dilemma."

"No, anything but Cagalli laughing. I'm sure that she'd be so happy seeing me like this."

"Not at all Shinn, She's been increasingly curious about you. And worry not about Meyrin, I have received a message from her."

"_I was supposed to tell you about this, Shinn but it's sad that Luna beat me to it. I'll still try to sway her opinion of Lacus, but I guess that it'll be in a battle or something."_

Looking back, the black-haired pilot of the Arc-Savior had a lot of excessive emotional baggage in Luna. After all, Shinn up to this day still had the guilt of having almost killed Lunamaria's sister. If he wasn't blinded by his confusion, he'd see Luna as nothing more than an obligation more than a lover.

"_I am disgusted of the fact that you care about your dead sister more than I, and for that I loathe the idea of you and me becoming lovers!" –those words reverberate around Shinn's head as he makes adjustments to the Operating System of his Mobile Suit._

After Lacus returned, Kira would be seen rather annoyed with what the pink-princess's hairdo. The long, wavy hair was replaced by a seemingly nostalgic do. To make matters worse, the lady asked Kira about the 'new look'.

"I am a bit shocked, I thought you were some other person, the disguise is really working." –the purple-eyed Coordinator said.

Followed by Ssigh's odd comment;

"It stands out, but if you ask me, I'd want to stand out so that you'd not be too suspicious .Isn't that right, Kira?"

"I know, let me ask you a question, Ssigh… did you tell Esther something that you shouldn't tell her? It's evident that she may _know something_ about me."

"Not at all. Even if it were the case, you're just seeing things, Kira."

"Is there something wrong with my look?" –the pink haired Clyne heiress asked both Kira and Ssigh.

"Nothing, it's just that you seem too awkward with that hairdo. It's really bothering me."

But before Ssigh could finish off his reply, Esther stepped in:

"It's the best look that I've come up for her without wasting more hair. It would make sense and she needs that look in order not to look like the 'empress of ZAFT'." –the protégé from Copernicus said.

"I guess you have a point, if I was Lacus, I won't want my hair to be just wasted like that. You have a point" –Kira finally surrendered the argument.

Esther also reminds the group that they're on the way to Orb, and that the Seraph has finished preparations, and now will be escorted by two support ships, the Tsukino and the Homura. They are to slip through ZAFT blockades that are positioned near the re-entry point.

Kira who now prepares the Strike R is greeted by Lacus.

"I'm quite surprised that you really focus on a lot of stuff regarding this machine, like the old days, right?" –the pink princess asks.

"You might say that, but I may ask, what's with your look? I feel uneasy about it. The colors just look odd to me, it's a bit too extreme."

"If it's neccesary for me to look like this in order for the movement not to notice, I'll take that as a compliment. Even Esther will don something different as her disguise once we go back to Orb. It'd be the best for us to remain incognito as the knowledge of me being in Orb will make it a target, and we don't like that nation to suffer for our sake ever again. " –the pink princess exclaimed.

"Should we just have stood down instead? Our lives were supposed to be not that complicated. We could've still run that orphanage after the second war."—a reluctcant Kira would say.

"I would be upset if we didn't do enough. I am not regretting the decision to lead PLANT, I am regretting that my worrying has made you into this. You should not be afraid to defend what you stand for."

"Maybe it's because I lack the passion. Even when I became a General, I still felt that I was still that young man who just wanted to hang out with his friends."

"Do you think your friends would be proud of your griping!..."—Lacus would get exasperated with this sudden attitude of Kira.

"…The last thing they would've wanted is to see you in a state like this!"

Upset, Lacus would lay off the Ultimate Coordinator. She goes into her quarters, visibly crying.

The scene would then shift with Esther, who sees Lacus leave Kira while crying. The brunette would immediately get mad at Kira:

"Ensign Yamato, not to intrude in your personal affairs, but morale is an important factor that sometimes determines success or failure."—the author exclaims.

"I'm sorry. It's just that everything Lacus and I accomplished so far, was just an illusion."—Kira would say.

Suddenly, Esther would hit Kira on the cheek. The often lively author would glare at Kira and say:

"You are not giving this sob story ever again! I refuse to accept that I have a fan that thinks this way."

The brunette-haired author would explain to Kira that he's not the only one disappointed by what has happened to PLANT.

"Lacus and I already lost the power to do what is necessary; I don't think we'll ever be able to restore PLANT to what it was before this rebellion." –the sad pilot says.

"I did not entrust you with the Strike-R for you to be as whiny as you once were. When Argyle told me that you were whiny, I didn't expect you to act like someone who's afraid to pull the trigger."

The brunette-haired lady motioned to Kira that Lacus probably was upset because he was looking weak, and that the pink empress never wanted that out of him. Kira would take a deep breath and look at Esther's eyes.

"Maybe I'm just having Goosebumps. Being assigned to a ship that's similar to the Archangel and piloting a suit so similar to the Strike, I'm just worried about Lacus." –said the amethyst-eyed coordinator.

Esther would quickly reply saying;

"Here's a simple assessment of the situation. According to the combat archives of the Strike stored in the original Archangel's database, you're only ever overwhelmed when something is off with your focus. I could say that when something bugs you, you lose focus. I could ill afford to have that from you, snap out of it. It's not like you're going to lose Lacus or something. Now if you fail to protect her, I'm going to blame you for her death. The last thing you should be doing is to worry about her, when you have the capability to protect her."

Kira is shocked that Esther indeed knows in detail about his previous stint on the Strike. His mood changed and he let out a burst of anger towards the author.

"HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME! WHO GAVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT ME!"—Freedom's pilot screamed.

"Stop it right there, Kira!" –a rushing Ssigh Argyle would shield Esther from being harmed.

"It was I who gave her the combat data; she just made an assessment of it. If you have to blame someone for your past being known by her, it has to be me, not her."

Esther would let out a grin, saying;

"It's not like I did not tell you, I am a student of history, I told you this the first time I gave you this machine. I am just stating the fact that your impulsiveness is making you ineffective. Not a damn thing will change if you go out there with doubts in your mind. You will always keep losing those you care about."

Those words reverberating inside Kira's head, he calms down, and realizes that he's panicking because of the thought of losing Lacus.

"I'm sorry… maybe I'm just too tired, I should go to rest. Expect me to be better tomorrow, I promise."—the veteran pilot would say.

After Kira leaves, Esther would try to cheer up Lacus, who was shocked by how Kira acted.

"I guess this is the first time you've seen him get mad like this, believe me I hate it when this happens. I just wish he'd be more serious about what he says. If he is hesitant to do something he does with ease, his performance will end up costing us. And as he said, he's afraid of losing you, just like he 'lost' me."—the author explains.

"Well, I should've realized that the pressure was creeping up to him…again. To be perfectly honest, I'd like to know your reasoning behind assigning him a unit so similar to the Strike. Is it…in order for him to remember you?"

"Not the case, at all. Ssigh just likes that design like a geek. He even designed this ship to be a replica of the original Archangel, but luckily I wanted it to be my own, hence the red coloring on this ship, but don't harp on me for such a color, Miss 'I-stole-a-pink-ship'." –Esther jokingly says to ease up the pink songstress.

But the pair's talk was cut short; Ssigh would contact Esther and notify her that a relatively small patrol group was spotted just northwest of their location, en route to an interception.

"It looks like we're in for our first big test, Esther." –The pink haired empress would tell Esther while wiping her tears, and putting on that familiar black robe she had as the High Council Chairman.

Lacus quickly rushes to the CIC's control panel, while Esther overviews the situation from the captain's chair.

"It seems like they've sent a small force, hmmm…I think I need more data, Lacus. Identify which suits they will deploy, then we react to the situation."—the brunette would think about which trick she will pull out of her hat.

"We've detected three Nazca Class ships; all of them are complemented by 15 GiNN MkIV's. If my calculations are correct, given the fact that we only have a total of 4 suits, 3 Murasames and the Strike-R, we can't match them by firepower. "

"We have no choice but to narrow the gap against them. Load anti-beam depth charges, fire at my command, Ssigh, how long till' the cloak is active? "

"Ten minutes!" –the tactical weapons officer of the Seraph tells Esther.

The book writer from Copernicus would be seen with a determined look on her eyes, waiting for the best chance to strike at the opposition. The two nazcas are now closing in to the Seraph, but just as those interceptors approach firing range…

"Anti-beam depth charges, Fire!"—Esther issues the command to deploy her first measure of defense.

Because the Nazcas were too near the seraph at the moment, they had to fire with short-ranged, CIWS. But it just makes them vulnerable because the Valiants of the Seraph can now pluck them like flies, to negat this the Nazca's now appear to deploy their mobile suit complements.

"Hmm…Should we now send out the Strike? "

"No, prepare hands for anti-MS battle, prepare the cloak. Ssigh, load Gottfrieds, wait for tactical lock."—Esther tells Lacus.

The GiNN's were being suckered by the fact that the Seraph has not been deploying any Mobile suit escorts.

Esther then gives out orders to deploy the Strike and its wingmen.

"Kira, you're now clear to launch." –Lacus clears the Strike-R to launch.

With a clouded perception, Kira heads out to battle again, will the brewing problems inside him give him more trouble, or will he see something that will ultimately enable him to trust Esther? While the Strike was being catapulted to the battlefield, the Seraph fires Gottfrieds where the GiNNs are at.

"Kira Yamato, Strike, Launching!"


	8. Phase 08 The Red Witch's Enchantment

Cosmic Era 81: As the peace gained by the Clyne faction came down to a crashing halt, The Destiny movement, a group that has been founded on the ideals of Gilbert Durandal would come into power. As their reign would bring about the shadows of war once again, the Orb Mediatory Council is tasked with its first mission: to make a dialogue between the exiled pink empress and the leadership of the disarrayed Earth Alliance, The crew of the Seraph needs to break through the ZAFT blockade.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

_**Phase 08- The Red Witch's Enchantment**_

Engaging the ZAFT blockade, Esther would again rely on Kira to engage the mobile suit complement of the Task force. Meanwhile, Kira would still wander about the gist of the argument minutes ago.

"_Not a damn thing will change if you go out there with doubts in your mind. You will always keep losing those you care about."—Esther's words still echo within his mind._

"_Esther is right, doubt was the biggest enemy back then, and it's still the biggest enemy right now. How could I protect Lacus if all I am is a doubter? " –Kira's mind focuses on that thought"._

Lacus, who was looking over at the CIC, senses something amiss on the way the enemies have been moving.

"Captain, I'm picking up an odd sequence in their attack pattern, it seems like they're minimizing the number of suits engaging the Strike-S, and I think they're studying Kira's fighting style."

"Don't worry, Lacus. I still have things under my sleeve." –Esther proclaims as she asks Keichii, the tactical weapons officer to enable the Assault Mode of the Seraph.

The large, crimson ship would expose two more weapons; In addition, the ship began to use an experimental feature of the ship, The Voiture Lumiere. Or the "Seraph's Halo" as Ssigh calls it. This feature of the Ship sacrifices defense and offensive capabilities for unmatched Speed.

Using the Speed advantage of the Ship, Esther would plot her next move. She orders Kira to prepare for Configuration switch with the v-Mode for the Strike-S. Knowing about Kira's experience in handling the machine's ability to adapt to different situations, she tells him:

"Prepare to engage the enemies, we need to get away from this situation, quickly, we'll be providing support for you, Yamato, Lacus has already calculated the optimum path for quick set up. I'll be sending you the flight path."

While the Seraph avoids incoming beam weapons fire, Kira would transform the Burst Strike to its faster Mobile Armor mode and Rush to the Seraph's side. Though two GiNN MkIV's would try to intercept the Jet Strike, Kira would make short work of the intercepting forces by firing shots from both Agni Cannons of the Mobile Armor, Destroying one of the pursuers. Kira meanwhile transforms again, he detaches the Agni's and opts to commandeer the GiNN's Anti-Ship Sword, and then slicing the other in half.

"Ssigh, Is the pack ready?" –Esther asks for the condition of her trump card.

"Sorry Esther, the new equipment isn't calibrated yet, we'd have to gamble on Kira being able to adjust its settings, even then the Hyper Deuterion Wireless Energy Delivery System for the Dragoons are not finished, it'll just be like the older Super Dragoon System. It's already lucky that Kira has experience on handling such a system. However, we have to think of a distraction to offset the delays that Kira's manipulation of the OS would have. " –Ssigh Explains.

Esther would remain unfazed by the turn of events, and would immediately formulate a solution to adjust to the Strike-R's momentary downtime. She then instructs Keichii, the helmsman, to disengage the Halo, then asks Lacus at CIC to arm the Positron Cannons, prompting Lacus to ask Esther:

"_Are you seriously making Kira bait?" _

"_Well, I trust him enough to make it in time."—Esther replies._

"_Just don't blame me if he dies…Just kidding."_

The Seraph's linear Catapult would open with the Nu-Striker, a Striker equipment pack that enables it to use remote weaponry, much like the Mobius Zero or even the Strike Freedom. Ten years ago, catapulting a Striker Pack would be based on strict calculation, and a stroke of luck, the procedure this time has been simplified, allowing for the Striker packs to home in on the main suit.

"_What the hell is Esther thinking! I'm a sitting duck out here!" –Kira exclaimed. But then, the captain would make sure that her pilot isn't going to meet his maker._

The Seraph would ensure cover fire by unleashing a volley of missiles from the pods, serving as a distraction to enemy forces while Kira was tweaking the OS.

"_Alright, Setting parameters to the same mode as the Strike Freedom's Dragoons, Recompiling the GUNDAM OS, Nu Strike Configuration , operational in 30…29…28..." _

Esther can only hold off the enemy for at least 2 more minutes, as the enemy send out the Hi-ZAKU contingent of the Ship, at least ten of the new Destiny Movement suits were going to engage the Seraph.

"How much more are we going to endure this?" –Lacus says with a worried face.

"Just a bit more"—Ssigh would reassure the pink empress.

"Kira should be finished with the tweaks." –the mobile suit-smith explains.

As the HiZAKU's swarm the Seraph, one of them manages to breach the bridge, and points its beam rifle in front of the bridge. Then a message was relayed from the Eternal:

"This is Andreas Windsor of the Destined, I am requesting your terms of surrender. Any more hostilities will leave us no choice but to declare Orb as one of Lacus Clyne's supporters and will be treated as enemies of the PLANT Homeland. " –the admiral threatens the Seraph's crew.

"I believe that you are too ahead of yourself, Admiral Windsor. You forgot one big detail that you're engaging someone who has a knack of saving people from this kind of predicament." –Esther replies.

And as she utters those words, High energy beams hit the HiZAKU that pointed the beam rifle against the bridge.

"Sorry I'm late, Esther. You owe me an explanation as to why you made me bait." –Kira says as the v-Strike takes out the Mobile Suits that were attacking the Seraph. He then Activates the scope and identifies five targets, 2 GiNN MkIV's, and three Hi ZAKU's. Kira's eyes then become soulless, as he feels things around him slow down.

"_According to the combat archives of the Strike stored in the original Archangel's database, you're only ever overwhelmed when something is off with your focus. I could say that when something bugs you, you lose focus. I could ill afford to have that from you, snap out of it. It's not like you're going to lose Lacus or something. Now if you fail to protect her, I'm going to blame you for her death. The last thing you should be doing is to worry about her, when you have the capability to protect her." –these words linger within Kira's thoughts. And another memory jumbled in his dreams would appear._

"_If only I was strong enough, then you don't have to die, Fllay." _

"_Don't sulk that way, you idiot. I'll always protect you, no matter what. Just focus, if you don't… you'll most likely lose everything."_

The visions would momentarily disappear. Kira then realizes that the targets he locked are ready to be offed, he then deploys the v-Dragoons, He concentrates into finding the spot to land a clean hit with the Dragoons.

Making short work of the 5 suits near the Seraph, Kira turns his attention to the Flagship, the Eternal.

" _I know Lacus and I have fond memories of that ship, but everything has to end… Now DISPATCH THEM, DRAGOONS!"_

As all six of the Nu-Strike's Dragoons manage to leave the Eternal dead in the water, prompting Kira to radio the Seraph.

"This is Kira Yamato, Nu-Strike, confirming 10 kills. Requesting theoretical unit count for each ship in pursuit of the Seraph."

Esther would breathe out a sigh of relief as Kira disabled the ship that would give them problems, prompting the lady to murmur.

_"Hang on, Kira. I know you have to work double time and the best we can do for you is provide cover fire against the enemy."_

She then asks Lacus to identify the remaining enemies that still outnumber them, to what extent, the pink princess is still left to confirm.

"Two more Nazca's are in firing range, with at least an accompaniment of 15 Mobile Suits, most likely GiNNs…." –Lacus confirms the remaining unit count. "The concern is, 2 of them seem to be deployed and was most likely observing the battle."

Esther then weighs this information, as she orders Kira to pull back.

"Kira, be conservative of the Strike's new pack. Don't show off. The enemy is estimating our fighting strength. But you need to buy me time, I'm going to punch through one of the Nazcas with the positron cannons."

Given those orders, the Strike-S would disengage the Nu-Striker pack for an unorthodox pack, the Cutlass Striker. Kira would then use the Cutlass' advantage in Melee. While the opposition is finding it hard to breach this one-suit-defense-line, The captain of one of the Nazcas would hastily waste a shot of their main cannon against the white-blue and red Mobile Suit. This would also give Esther the opening she was looking for.

"Loengrins' numbers one and two, are locked and waiting for confirmation"—Lacus declares.

"Loengrin, #1 and #2 are to fire with a 2 second gap within each other".

"Loengrin, FIRE!"

The positron shot from the left mounted cannon would scrape one the Nazca and when they try to evade, the second shot would hit the engine room, leaving the ship dead in the water.

"That was close…"—Ssigh exclaimed"…for a minute there, I thought we were pinning our hopes on a half-baked suit. Thank God Kira's the pilot of that thing. We'd be goners otherwise."

"Okay Kira, head back. We got them, let's withdraw and plot a course for Copernicus . We lost a bit of our supplies, so replenishing them would be first priority. "

The Strike-S would then head back to the Seraph. And Kira would later bump into Esther again.

"You…were right. I did need to focus."—the pilot would apologize to the captain.

"You didn't hurt me, you hurt Lacus with that earlier scuffle, I suggest you apologize to her first, as I don't want an apology for something I willingly anticipated. I deserved to be lectured at for completely butting in."

"It's my fault. I kept thinking of what I might lose, not what I can do."—Kira says.

"Fearing loss isn't a weird occurrence, it's completely natural. But to let that fear consume you is a stupid act, considering that you alone are the key to accomplishing or failing a certain endeavor. It's what we do in times of despair that would define us, ultimately."—Esther replies.

"_It happened to me when I thought I lost you, I almost lost my mind, but I realized. That I needed to stand up on my own, in order to be able to protect you."_


	9. Phase 09 Esther's vow

Cosmic Era 81: As the peace gained by the Clyne faction came down to a crashing halt, The Destiny movement, a group that has been founded on the ideals of Gilbert Durandal would come into power. As their reign would bring about the shadows of war once again, the Orb Mediatory Council is tasked with its first mission: to make a dialogue between the exiled pink empress and the leadership of the disarrayed Earth Alliance, The crew of the Seraph needs to break through the ZAFT blockade.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

_**Phase 09- Esther**_

As the Seraph is taking a course to Copernicus, Esther Albionne is in her quarters, mapping out certain pointers for them to follow in the trip back to Alaska, to Atlantic Federation Territory. The 25-year old captain would often look at logs, from both the current ship and its predecessor, the Archangel. She flips the pages of the log to a specific picture, a photo of the crew, taken in the desert, a decade ago.

_"If only circumstances were not harsh to us, I would've been there with you…" –Esther utters these words softly. _

_CE 72, Copernicus University_

Flunking another semester in the course she was enrolled in, a 16 year old Fllay Allster would live her life as if nothing, the redhead would often skip class, to do nothing but shopping and would be scolded time and again about her priorities.

She thinks that she isn't of much use, so she figured to just waste away the second chance given to her, the reasoning being that she's powerless anyway.

"_Reappearing as the Vice Minister of the Atlantic Federation, just to stop the war, isn't going to work anyway, my name is irrelevant now. Perhaps the only thing I can do is to protect you from afar."—the young lass would put it bluntly while trying on different clothes._

The young heiress of the Allster Family would waste her money, the remaining assets of the family, her father's account, passed down to her via inheritance, and the small account she herself got when she volunteered herself as a member of the military.

The young lass would be caught during one time, by the University guards. She would frequently be told by the staff to be serious with her studies, especially when her papers, assignments and quizzes were just half-baked. You could see her acing the exam, but you could see that she's not even trying. The papers were literally half-finished, even though all the answers she's given are correct, as if the young lady was living by the edge.

"_Just when will you realize that your talents are being wasted!" –said a professor. _

"…_One day you will realize that you have a greater purpose, and pray deeply that it won't happen too late."_

Esther would just ignore those cryptic warnings, until the world she was running away from quickly caught up to her…

_CE 73, Copernicus University_

As the young lady, clad in a rose pink top and black skirt would finish her round of shopping, she overhears two students who have followed the war.

"Hey, have you heard. The ZAFT forces finally did it, they downed the Archangel and the Freedom in one go. I gotta hand it to that Impulse pilot, first the Destroy, and now the Freedom! That pilot must be a pro"—declares the fat one with glasses.

The look on Esther's face changed. She blacks out and wakes up, in a hospital bed, surrounded by the School Staff.

"Fllay Allster, that's your name, right?" –whispered the University Headmaster.

"So what if it is, I don't really want to be reminded of my life, I just want to get away from everything…" –the redhead clasps her chest, seemingly in pain.

"…I cannot return to who I was! And that's the real reason why I am in such a place."

The headmaster, Dr. Martha Hoenheim, would calm her down. Saying:

"Listen, you have been part of an action that burdens you, to have been an indirect cause of death and destruction must be that heavy to bear, but that doesn't exempt you from your responsibility."

"I…have…a responsibility?" –Fllay muttered.

"Yes, It is the responsibility to rise up, when you fall. It is your duty to redeem yourself, not only on other people's eyes but ultimately, to yourself. That is why you have been spared by fate."

Martha was the reason why the young heiress of the house of Allster never was questioned by the Authorities, the young geneticist found her body, floating in space, moments after that momentous battle of Jachin Due. A normal human, natural or coordinator, would have died from what Fllay experienced, but she persevered. She was able to be in full health, a full year after the final events of the war. The professor was just supposed to get a random corpse to be experimented upon by the university, but instead, what she got was a survivor.

"Perhaps this Kira…is the source of your anguish?" –Martha asked.

Those words reverberate throughout Fllay's soul, making her shed a tear.

"I may have lost him. When I finally was fine, my first priority was to find him, and tell him that I am sorry for everything that I've done. I guess it's too late. "

Fllay continued to tell Martha about her memories in serving both the archangel, and falling in love with the very person she wanted revenge upon: Kira Yamato.

"I think Orb may have recovered the Freedom, with the pilot intact, at least that's what my colleague from the Orb General Hospital said. She says the pilot surely is a wonder, and she says that it was an honor helping Cagalli's cause..." –Hoenheim assures the young damsel

"…He's the brother of the Orb Union Representative, Cagalli Yula Attha."

"Cagalli! She's the girl from before, the one who was basically attracted to Kira from the get-go. That girl, she's from Desert Dawn! I can't believe that she's connected in such a way to him." –Fllay exclaimed.

Martha told her about what Kira really is, including his relationship with Cagalli, and the real reason why Kira and his friends are being hunt down. The young dame surely came into a realization: Her world was moving, and it was on a pace she could no longer sit idly.

"If I stayed like this, and waste myself more, instead of trying to redeem myself and try to be a difference, my second life will be worth nothing!"

"That's the correct answer, Fllay. You need not waste your time on such things. You were given this chance because someone _up there_ wants you to change something."

_CE 74, Copernicus University_

Esther Albionne, currently taking up studies in Philosophy, would often find herself in the library, basically locking herself up in the company of thousands of books, where she would never leave the room without discovering something new. Alongside her, a red bird robot that one of her friends built, she fondly calls it _akatorii_, it serves as a personal organizer to her.

The young lady, already of legal age, would no longer find herself engaged at a nearby mall, shopping for countless hours. Instead, she would often be found writing short stories, while looking at the artificial scenery in Coppernicus. She hones her skills, with raw determination.

Another fateful encounter would alter Esther's beliefs, ultimately rewarding her faith.

"_Kira! You're not paying attention! It's as if you don't care about what I wear." –a familiar face from two years ago would complain._

"_What else would you want me to say, Lacus? It looks beautiful."—Kira would complement the pink princess._

Seeing that her beloved was standing, and in good condition, made her happy, but at the same time, seeing him interact with someone else, made her sad. But nonetheless, being able to feel both these emotions made her realize, where her passion lies, and where she wants to go. She realizes that she wants to be able to protect her beloved, whatever it costs her, even if it hurts her, for she had hurt him in the past.

"_It's a shame that I can't touch you, my dearest, but it'll be a bigger humiliation if I fail to protect you. I'll be by your side again, someday." –she says, while the winds blow her crimson hair, making it seem like it's burning amidst the virtual sunset._

_CE 81, Orb Mediatory Council Flagship, Seraph_

As Esther closes the logbook, she is reminded of her true intent of joining Terminal. The vow she made in light of her darkest hour…

"I will protect you, Kira. No matter what."


	10. Phase 10 Despair of the Songstress

Cosmic Era 81: As the peace gained by the Clyne faction came down to a crashing halt, The Destiny movement, a group that has been founded on the ideals of Gilbert Durandal would come into power. As their reign would bring about the shadows of war once again, the Orb Mediatory Council is tasked with its first mission: to make a dialogue between the exiled pink empress and the leadership of the disarrayed Earth Alliance, The crew of the Seraph needs to break through the ZAFT blockade.

**Alternate Mobile Paradigm: Gundam SEED Seraph**

_**Phase 10- Despair of the Songstress**_

"_Where have I gone wrong?" –these words cloud the former chairman of PLANT, _Lacus Clyne, who is saved by the Orb Mediatory Council, and given safe haven by both Terminal and the Orb government , would realize that something was wrong with her.

Her mechanical friend, _Pink-chan,_ would pester her with squeaky sounds and would bounce around. The relatively young woman would pick it up and hold it. It's been a month since she and Kira were forcibly ousted as the leaders of PLANT. Suddenly, she has to trust someone who in her mind is still a puzzle to her. As the pink empress looks at space from her little window, she came into a realization.

"_I no longer want to rely on Kira doing the heavy lifting, Esther and I shouldn't use him like we both did, ten years ago, but…we have no choice, he's the only one pilot who we both know is capable of defending this ship." _

Her belief that she was doing a fine job as chairman of PLANT was completely shattered, whether it is by virtue of overconfidence or sheer foolishness, it was still a loss that Lacus herself couldn't bring herself to accept. Only when Kira punctures a disabling blow to her old flagship, did she realize that she still has hope, at first, she thought that becoming chairman was just to be a political symbol of stability, but the situation did not really reflect what was going on. Lacus found out the hard way, that her would-be allies have all shunned her, except for Orb, and the organization that she turned her back on, Terminal.

"_I should really tell the reverend that I'm sorry for leaving them after all this is over. On another hand, Fllay still seems to be a puzzle for me. Is she really going to be trustworthy? " –Lacus would focus deeply on the thought that her only ally on the situation is someone who's she'd think would leave her to the wolves._

Gazing towards the direction of where the Earth is, thanks to the hologram-viewer, she would realize that the only thing that hinders Esther and Lacus from achieving their goal is the Atlantic Federation, the faction that Kira used to work for.

As fate would have it, Lacus would find an ally, from an unlikely source: Terminal's current leader: Esther Allbionne, or as Kira vividly remembers her, the young dame _Fllay Allster_. While their first meeting was a fiasco that ended with the death of the latter's father, Lacus would look back at that time, figuring out what she could've done to help her out.

_"Irony wouldn't have done any better, I now am indebted to the same person who bargained my life in exchange for her father's safety. And while it feels relieving to finally be friends with her, I couldn't fully trust Fllay yet, not when the past keeps telling me that she's that same person who wouldn't shake my hand because of what I am. What is this uneasiness? Is it because of the thought of Fllay returning and getting Kira away from me?"_

So many things are revolving around Lacus, that she cannot rest, AT ALL. Boredom finally hit her and she went out to get something from the cafeteria. As she would get a cup of tea and some pastries, a familiar voice would surprise her.

"And what are you doing here, Haven't you've learned by this time that you need to ask first before you leave your quarters?" –Esther would say with a sarcastic tone.

Lacus would banter with the brunette and say;

"I'm not a prisoner, remember? But yeah, I suppose that this place really reminds me of what happened… Between the both of us."

Esther would sit beside Lacus after she got her own cup, with coffee. Both would continue the silence until;

"I guess we could both blame Cagalli for assigning me to this ship, after all. " –Esther finally breaks her silence.

"If only different circumstances introduced us to each other, it wouldn't have ended up to be such a fiasco. You could probably blame my naïve understanding of the situation. Had I been as knowledgeable as I am right now, we would've stopped the war cold on its tracks with just Kira and Athrun…okay, I may be overestimating." -the younger of the two would say.

Esther would help Lacus with the food she was trying to find on the cafeteria.

"…I know that you still do not trust me. It's okay. I've already expected that you still doubt me, given our not-so-good history. But I assure you, I'll do everything to prevent Kira from suffering again, so protecting you is included in that assurance."

"I'm not doubting you because of our history, I'm actually doubting myself. I feel that I've lost my touch. I can't believe I'm saying this, Esther. I feel that I'm not the former head of Terminal you expect me to be. I realize that I gained everything because people feared my influence. If not for Kira and Athrun, I would be nothing." -Lacus would lament.

"Don't tell me you've caught Kira's anxiety from earlier. Believe me, sometimes I want to choke him for being so damn pessimistic. " –Esther would say, while serving newly cooked pasta for Lacus.

Lacus would laugh at that moment, feeling that the person who was willing to kill her in exchange for George Allster's safety ten years ago, is now an important cog to reclaiming PLANT from the Destiny Movement's control. Carefully consuming the plate of pasta the redhead cooked for her.

"Like I said, I'm surprised you've learned so much, despite how hard rehabilitation for, let me guess; was it roughly a year?"- She would complement Esther;

"Two years and a couple of months, and it was hard to cope up with everything."—Esther says.

Fascinated with her friend's story, Lacus wanted to ask more. So she has another query for the redhead to satisfy:

"So what made you decide to take up politics, records from Heliopolis' database seem to point out that you were once in the same Engineering class as Kira and the others, why the career change?"

But before Esther could answer the question, a shockwave reached the cafeteria, a blockade was set up and has intercepted the Seraph's trajectory. Lacus and Esther would rush to the bridge and wake Kira up.

"Sheesh, I was sleeping tight. These jerks don't know when to quit."—the Ultimate Coordinator would say as he suits up.

"The Nu-Striker isn't operational, so you're stuck with the new pack I made from the remnants of the suit you broke when you first arrived in this ship. I've managed to salvage the ExMAT system, but it isn't 100% complete. So whatever you do, NEVER try the extender."

"You have a name for this, Ssigh?"

"Not yet, but im…"

"It's the Liberta Strike Gundam, then."—Kira would say.

"Kira Hibiki, Liberta, Here I go!"


End file.
